Growth & Development
Zena Mourabet, DDS
Dental Resident
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Mark Green, DDS
Boston Children's Hospital
Isabelle Chase, DDS, FRCD(C)
Program Director
Boston Children's Hospital
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Matthew Harper, DDS
Dental Attending
Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the percentage of permanent lateral incisors exhibiting resorption in the presence of an ectopically erupting permanent canine, to quantify the resorption, and to determine the most common location for said resorption.
Methods: This retrospective study reviewed dental records of healthy children aged 8-15 years who had a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan taken between the years of 2011 and 2021 in the Boston Children’s Hospital. Children with agenesis of maxillary lateral incisors were excluded. Dolphin three-dimensional imaging was used to evaluate the level of resorption (mild, moderate, or severe) as well as the location of the resorption along the root of the adjacent lateral incisor (apical, middle, or cervical).
Results: A total of 106 patient records were reviewed (62 male, 44 female). Twenty-seven patients met inclusion criteria, with a total of 34 impacted maxillary canines. Statistical analysis shows that 40.54% of ectopically erupting canines were found to have caused some degree of resorption on the adjacent lateral incisor. There was an equal frequency of mild, moderate, and severe resorption (13.51%). When resorption was found to be present, it was most commonly on the apical third of the root (73.33%).
Conclusions: Using a more sensitive imaging modality, we are able to demonstrate that there is an overall higher likelihood of resorption than previously published. Resorption most commonly affects the apical third of the root.